Scorpion (CBS, Monday night, 9:00 p.m. EST) is one of the shows that we are watching at our house. We are a week behind, so I haven’t seen the episode that aired October 20, but we’ve watched the other episodes. My kids are 13 and 11, and they absolutely love the show. It just might be their new favorite. On a scale of one to five, they would give it a five. My husband gives it a 3. I might give it a 3.5.

Here is the show’s official description, pulled from the CBS website:

SCORPION, inspired by a true story, is a high-octane drama about eccentric genius Walter O’Brien and his team of brilliant misfits who comprise the last line of defense against complex, high-tech threats of the modern age. As Homeland Security’s new think tank, O’Brien’s “Scorpion” team includes Toby Curtis, an expert behaviorist who can read anyone; Happy Quinn, a mechanical prodigy; and Sylvester Dodd, a statistics guru. Pooling their extensive technological knowledge to solve mind-boggling predicaments amazes federal agent Cabe Gallo, who shares a harrowing history with O’Brien. However, while this socially awkward group is comfortable with each other’s humor and quirks, life outside their circle confounds them, so they rely on Paige Dineen, who has a young, gifted son, to translate the world for them. At last, these nerdy masterminds have found the perfect job: a place where they can apply their exceptional brainpower to solve the nation’s crises, while also helping each other learn how to fit in. (Source: http://www.cbs.com/shows/scorpion/about/)

CBS has moved the Big Bang Theory to Monday night, and Scorpion follows it. The basic presumption is if you like the comedic geniuses on BBT, you will like the dramatic geniuses on Scorpion. So far that has been mostly true at our house. The show reminds me a little bit of the A-Team, without the whole running from the law element. I keep waiting for Elyes Gable, who plays Walter O’Brien, to put a cigar in his mouth and squint — “I love it when a plan comes together.” So far, that has not happened. Katharine McPhee plays a convincing single mom, and so far, I think she is a better actress than she was a singer.

Here are our likes and dislikes:

Likes:

I like the strength of the characters (when they aren’t annoying me – sometimes they can trend to too quirky)

My husband likes watching a group of social misfits try to act as a team with skills that compliment each other.

We like that we can watch it with the kids. So far there hasn’t been any gratuitous sex or violence.

Dislikes:

The show does the whole Agent Scully/Mulder dynamic. Either the FBI agent believes the team can do what they say or he doesn’t.

Deux ex Machina. Without going into too much plot detail for spoilers, sometimes solutions appear on their own, without any action from the characters.

As my husband puts it, some of the crazy stunts they try are beyond stupid. (plugging an ethernet cable into a jet while it is flying?)

This one has made the level to get a season pass at our house. Only time will tell if we continue to watch it.The show screams potential, but we don’t think it has hit its groove yet. What are your thoughts? Have you seen Scorpion?

Mike and Molly — I really really wanted to like this show. We watched it for three years with few complaints. I think that Molly (Melissa McCarthy) and Mike (Billy Gardell) are both extremely talented. But I’m tired. The show went out on a limb with two overweight characters, and if I recall, the original plan was to show that heavy people are people too. Now we’ve devolved into a lot of Melissa McCarthy doing slapstick, and Billy Gardell being the lovable straight guy who puts up with his wife’s antics. She’s good, but she’s not Lucille Ball good. If that’s all the show is, it falls flat.

Last year they were starting to develop some of the secondary characters, but apparently the producers felt that their main star wasn’t getting enough camera time, because this season has been all about Molly getting into trouble. We’ve gone from slightly skewed realism to over-the-top farce. Who climbs out of a window to quit their job?

That’s the major reason, but there are some minor irritations that should be pointed out. Two people that large would not be sharing a regular sized bed, or even a queen-sized. My husband and I won’t even sleep in a queen bed on vacation. I know they wanted some comedy around her mother and sister, but move out already. And we had a brief attempt to move into the basement, but now we’re back upstairs for no apparent reason. Her quitting her job when they wanted to have a baby and they are always referring to how much credit card debt they have was ridiculous. Molly is quickly becoming a TSTL heroine: too stupid to live.

Final Verdict: If we come across the show we may watch it, but once a show loses its season pass at our house, it’s quickly forgotten.